NIH cuts to cost Nashville millions
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Nearly half of all U.S. counties will experience economic losses of at least $250,000 as a result of the Trump administration's planned cuts to indirect funding by the National Institutes of Health, per the Science & Community Impacts Mapping Project.
Why it matters: The data compiled from a consortium of universities shows just how widespread the effects of the cuts would be at the local level, researchers tell Axios.
- More than 500 counties nationwide will lose more than $6.25 million in funding, their data shows. That includes Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson, Wilson, Sumner and Robertson counties.
Catch up quick: In February, the Trump administration said it would cap the indirect cost rate on all new and current grants at 15% of the total cost.
- Nearly two dozen states sued, earning a temporary freeze on the cuts for the states that participated in the suit. An additional 16 states have since filed their own legal challenge.
Between the lines: The researchers used a variety of data points, including commuter information. The goal was to show a more comprehensive picture of the potential economic impacts.
Zoom in: Vanderbilt University Medical Center is planning to scale back its upcoming budget by $250 million in response to NIH cuts and other funding reductions by the Trump administration.
- VUMC and Vanderbilt University are two of the leading recipients of NIH funding in the entire nation, using the federal funds to research areas such as cancer treatments, infectious diseases and ALS.
What they're saying: "I don't think people have a sense of the extent to which the NIH funding is embedded in communities, big cities, regional hubs, small towns all across the U.S.," Joshua Weitz from the University of Maryland told Axios.